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Tag Archives: Revenge

Directed by Chris Waugh, ‘Bad Day for the Cut’ sees a mild mannered farmer called Donal (Nigel O’Neill) catapulted on a mission of vengeance after his mother is murdered. On his journey of revenge he discovers shocking revelations about his mother, who harbored dark secrets of her own.

With the help of a would be hitman Bartosz (Jozéf Pawlowski), Donal seeks to find those responsible and make them pay.

Also co starring Susan Lynch as psychotic gangland boss Frankie Pearce, ‘Bad Day for the Cut’ is a movie that marries brutal violence with pathos and raw emotion, evoking similarities to the classic thrillers of the mid 70’s. The script feels real and things happen as you expect they would, not as you want them to. Donal is an ordinary man looking for revenge, and makes mistakes that an ordinary man would make.

At certain times heartfelt, and at others brutal and unforgiving, ‘Bad Day for the Cut’ is a revenge thriller that will be remembered for years to come, making Chris Waugh a director I shall be following very closely in the future.

‘Bad Day for the Cut’ is out now and available to order digitally from iTunes or on DVD from all good stockists.

Danny is a saxophonist with a jobbing band that play in various cheap locations. One late night after a gig he goes outside the venue to get some air and speak to a girl that has taken a shine to him. Shortly after he witnesses the murder of his band manager and an innocent girl in the wrong place at the wrong time. The violence he witnesses sends Danny on a quest for revenge, which will change his life forever.

Swapping a saxophone for a machine gun, Danny works his way through terrorists that had a hand in the murder of his manager and the destruction that followed. At the same time he tries to keep some semblance of normality in his life, and continues playing with the band and trying to form a meaningful relationship with the lead singer, Dee. However Danny’s journey is fraught with peril and threatens to ruin the relationship he has with his band, plus fail to give him the closure he so desperately seeks.

Moody and dripping with atmoshphere, this was Neil Jordan’s first directing gig and contains themes (troubles in Northern Ireland) that would echo through his following movies. Stephen Rea is brilliant as Danny, fumbling his way through his quest in seeking retribution for the deaths he has witnessed. The police follow and question Danny, but their motives are vague to say the least. You’re never quite sure just what they are trying to achieve and Danny usually finds himself arousing no suspicion whatsoever. The film leaves you with the feeling that revenge is a fruitless endeavour no matter how you go about it. Some things just have a way of going their own way, no matter your efforts to change the outcome.

The acting is great from everyone involved, and the movie displays a dreamlike quality at times, with the music from Danny’s saxophone playing in the background. It’s one I recommend, though it isn’t the bloody revenge type thriller you may be expecting.

Major Charles Rane (William Devane) has spent 8 long years in a POW camp, being beaten and tortured. He returns home greeted as a hero, with his friend Johnny (Tommy Lee Jones). However life has moved on while the major has been away. His son doesn’t really know him and his wife has met somebody else. The Major is given a nice new car and a box full of silver dollars as a thank you for all he did during the war. A group of greedy thugs see him being presented with the gifts on TV and decide they want the silver dollars for themselves. The thugs break into the majors house and wait for him to come home and reveal the location of the silver dollars. When the major refuses, his wife and son are viciously murdered in front of him and his hand his shredded in a waster disposal.

After months of recovery the major decides he is going to track down those responsible and seek retribution for his wife and son. All leading to a bloody and ferocious shoot-out in a brothel. Now fear not, I haven’t spoiled anything by revealing the death of the wife and son as it all happens in the first 15-20 mins. The rest of the movie consists of Major Rane recovering, learning how to use his hook hand and seeking down those responsible.

Quentin Tarantino has named this as one of his favourite movies. So much so that he named a distribution company after it. William Devane is magnificent as Major Rane. He brings a raw intensity to the role, and I have always really rated him as an actor. Tommy Lee Jones is also great as Johnny Vohden. He doesn’t seem the brightest but his character is infused with a strong sense of loyalty, especially when the major tells Johnny that he’s found the ones that killed his family, all Johnny says is “I’ll get my stuff”.

The script is written by Paul Schrader who tends to write a lot of these dark scripts, focusing on folks on the outskirts of society. Directed by John Flynn who also directed my favourite Steven Seagal flick ‘Out For Justice’. The final shoot-out is just amazing. Fizzing with energy you can see that both men are back where they belong, right in the thick of it. I really recommend this movie. If you’re a fan of gritty 70’s movies, then give this a shot.